The Thing About Dogs and Pigs…

Matthew 7:6 – “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces”              

The “pigs” half of this saying of Jesus is what gets the most press.  In our culture, it has become a way of saying something like, “I choose to not even engage you because you are unworthy of my time, knowledge, or help;  I don’t cast my pearls before swine.” In other words, it has become a way to proclaim judgement of another.  But Jesus has just taught in the preceding passages (see last few reflections) that judgement is wrong for anyone but God, so obviously, he’s not teaching us to judge people worthy of our effort (or not).  So what is He saying?

First of all, we need to remember that Jesus talks not just about pigs, but also about dogs.   It’s clear that Jesus wants us to consider both together.  Otherwise, why not just use one example?  Second, when Jesus says “dogs,” we hear “man’s best friend.”  Dogs were no such thing in Jesus’s day.  Dogs were wild animals that traveled in packs and they were dangerous, especially if they were hungry.  You throw anything to them that is not food and once they determine that it’s not food, they no longer have any interest in it.  You, the thrower, actually can be food – hence the “tear you to pieces” bit.  The pairing of this saying about dogs with pigs further clarifies Jesus’s intended meaning.  Pigs are also animals that are not interested in anything you throw at them unless it’s food. They probably won’t tear you to pieces, but your offering will probably get trampled.  Taken together, we see that Jesus wants us not to offer people something for which they obviously don’t have any interest.  It is a wasted and possibly dangerous offering.  It would be a better choice to give them what they want if you give them anything at all. 

This saying is about discernment of needs, not judgement of character.  To reinforce the point, make yourself the “dog.”  I don’t mean literally a dog, but someone who is ravenously hungry and has become pretty single-minded about getting something to eat.  To coin a fairly modern saying, you are “hangry” (the fun combination of “hungry” and “angry”).  You come up to the guy in the park with a sizeable cooler of food sitting on the bench next to him.  You ask if he has any food he could spare and he answers, “the food is not for you, but have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?”  At that moment, how interested are you in hearing more about Jesus?

You might become more interested if this cooler-hoarding guy gave you one of the sandwiches in the cooler and a cold drink first.  This is what Jesus is getting at – it’s about discernment of needs, not judgement of character.  The Gospel will be received much more warmly if our first thought is to meet the immediate need.  Both dogs and pigs have become “domesticated” since Jesus’s time because they learned to trust people who took care of their needs first.  Jesus is suggesting that the same approach works with people who don’t show any interest in our “pearls” when we first happen upon them. 

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for your teaching about pearls.  Help us to not only understand it, but practice your wisdom better.  Amen.

Prayer Focus: Pray for people who have been displaced by war.

Song:  BAND AID – ♥ ✩ Do They Know It’s Christmas?  I know it’s not Christmas, but this song matches the message for today of meeting needs and earning trust before proclaiming good news.